Industrial designer to tooling engineer
An industrial designer already meets 36% of what the tooling engineer role asks for. The move turns on 17 required skills not yet in the profile.
68.5/ 100
1 How much of what a tooling engineer is expected to do is already part of an industrial designer’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the tooling engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A tooling engineer role treats 11 of its required skills as things an industrial designer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- CAD software
- build a product's physical model
- create a product's virtual model
- determine production feasibility
- engineering principles
- engineering processes
What stands in the way is 17 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 17 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A tooling engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an industrial designer background worth leading with.
- already held determine production feasibility information skills
- already held monitor production developments information skills
- already held build a product's physical model handling and moving
- already held create a product's virtual model communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held industrial engineering engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held 3D modelling natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
All 17 carried skills, including the 11 the tooling engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 35 missing skills fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn mechanics required
- still to learn production processes required
- still to learn quality and cycle time optimisation required
- still to learn reverse engineering required
- still to learn technical drawings required
- optional, not held electromechanics optional
- optional, not held material mechanics optional
- still to learn estimate duration of work required
- still to learn execute analytical mathematical calculations required
- still to learn perform scientific research required
- still to learn provide cost benefit analysis reports required
- still to learn read engineering drawings required
- optional, not held determine production capacity optional
- still to learn adjust engineering designs required
- still to learn approve engineering design required
- optional, not held advise customers on new equipment optional
- optional, not held advise on machinery malfunctions optional
- optional, not held attend trade fairs optional
- optional, not held communicate with customers optional
- optional, not held render 3D images optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
- still to learn ICT software specifications required
- still to learn CAE software required
- still to learn use computer-aided engineering systems required
- optional, not held set up the controller of a machine optional
- optional, not held use CAM software optional
- still to learn multimedia systems required
4 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a tooling engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 ICT software specifications study this
- 02 CAE software study this
- 03 adjust engineering designs practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 17 skills that carry over
- already held CAD software knowledge
- already held build a product's physical model skill
- already held create a product's virtual model skill
- already held determine production feasibility skill
- already held engineering principles knowledge
- already held engineering processes knowledge
- already held industrial engineering knowledge
- already held manufacturing processes knowledge
- already held mathematics knowledge
- already held use CAD software skill
- already held use technical drawing software skill
- already held 3D modelling knowledge
- already held analyse production processes for improvement skill
- already held design prototypes skill
- already held liaise with engineers skill
- already held monitor production developments skill
- already held perform market research skill
The 4 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn physics required
- optional, not held plan allocation of space optional
- optional, not held manage supplies optional
- optional, not held plan manufacturing processes optional
- optional, not held set production facilities standards optional
- optional, not held ensure compliance with environmental legislation optional
- optional, not held manage health and safety standards optional
- optional, not held operate precision measuring equipment optional
18 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held plan allocation of space optional
- optional, not held advise customers on new equipment optional
- optional, not held advise on machinery malfunctions optional
- optional, not held attend trade fairs optional
- optional, not held communicate with customers optional
- optional, not held determine production capacity optional
- optional, not held electromechanics optional
- optional, not held ensure compliance with environmental legislation optional
- optional, not held manage health and safety standards optional
- optional, not held manage supplies optional
- optional, not held material mechanics optional
- optional, not held operate precision measuring equipment optional
- optional, not held plan manufacturing processes optional
- optional, not held render 3D images optional
- optional, not held set production facilities standards optional
- optional, not held set up the controller of a machine optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
- optional, not held use CAM software optional
50 held skills the tooling engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role CAM software knowledge
- not needed by the target role adapt existing designs to changed circumstances skill
- not needed by the target role adapt to new design materials skill
- not needed by the target role aesthetics knowledge
- not needed by the target role apply 3D imaging techniques skill
- not needed by the target role apply desktop publishing techniques skill
- not needed by the target role attend design meetings skill
- not needed by the target role build jewellery models skill
- not needed by the target role calculate design costs skill
- not needed by the target role calculate materials to build equipment skill
- not needed by the target role ceramic ware knowledge
- not needed by the target role collaborate with engineers skill
- not needed by the target role conduct research on trends in design skill
- not needed by the target role consult with design team skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate manufacturing production activities skill
- not needed by the target role copyright legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role cost management knowledge
- not needed by the target role design management knowledge
- not needed by the target role design package skill
- not needed by the target role design principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role determine suitability of materials skill
- not needed by the target role develop jewellery designs skill
- not needed by the target role draft design specifications skill
- not needed by the target role draw blueprints skill
- not needed by the target role draw design sketches skill
- not needed by the target role ergonomics knowledge
- not needed by the target role follow a brief skill
- not needed by the target role human-robot collaboration knowledge
- not needed by the target role hydraulics knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify customer's needs skill
- not needed by the target role industrial design knowledge
- not needed by the target role jewellery processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role manage contracts skill
- not needed by the target role meet deadlines skill
- not needed by the target role perform ideation activities skill
- not needed by the target role perform physical stress tests on models skill
- not needed by the target role perform project management skill
- not needed by the target role plan event marketing for promotional campaigns skill
- not needed by the target role pneumatics knowledge
- not needed by the target role prepare production prototypes skill
10 further entries not listed here
11 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn ICT software specifications required
- still to learn CAE software required
- still to learn mechanics required
- still to learn multimedia systems required
- still to learn physics required
- still to learn production processes required
- still to learn quality and cycle time optimisation required
- still to learn reverse engineering required
- still to learn technical drawings required
- optional, not held electromechanics optional
- optional, not held material mechanics optional
Other moves recorded from industrial designer
- ergonomist 81% covered · adjacent
- furniture designer 46% covered · substantial
- product development engineering drafter 44% covered · moderate
- design engineer 41% covered · substantial
- engine designer 41% covered · substantial
- automotive designer 38% covered · substantial
- industrial tool design engineer 38% covered · substantial
- container equipment design engineer 36% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can an industrial designer become a tooling engineer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An industrial designer already covers 36% of what a tooling engineer is expected to do: 17 skills carry over, 11 of which the tooling engineer role treats as required.
What skills does an industrial designer need to become a tooling engineer?
17 required skills are missing, plus 18 optional ones. They fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is ICT software specifications.
How hard is the move from industrial designer to tooling engineer?
Its learning distance is 68.5 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.